Arizona - Arcosanti - Cordes Junction

We had never heard of this experimental community and decided to check it out.  The brochure said no cost for tours but a $10 donation per person was appreciated.  We were charged $10 each for the tour and given a tax receipt.  So much for true advertising!

 

 

 

As you drive up to this urban laboratory over a rough dirt road the first thing you see are cement buildings.  As you walk past a high fence and look around the corner there seems to be a lot of junk stored maybe for future use.  The overall feel of the place is something ill kept and in need of some TLC.

 

the tall trees are Cypresses

my own artsy view from the entryway

 

Our group was led by a young gal from China who came to live and study in this community.   Most of the people that we saw who worked or lived at this facility were young.  There are a lot of cement stairs to traverse when going through this complex.

 

We were in time for a bronze pour and were led to the foundry where more young people were about to pour molten bronze into molds surrounded by sand.

 

bronze foundry

molds waiting for molten bronze

crucible and molten bronze weighs about 200 pounds

bronze heated to 1800F

molten bronze being poured into a mold

after the pour and outside box removed

 

bronze bells - verdigris color achieved by muriatic bath

bronze bell out of a mold - top part would be cut off later

 Next came a tour of the ceramic building.  We saw two potters at work.  The clay comes from Globe which is southeast of Mesa.

ceramic apse (an architectural term for a quarter sphere)

The greatest amount of time is spent on making ceramic and bronze windbells. 

We toured the living quarters (outside only), an amphitheatre, a music room and a library.

stairway leads to private living quarters

the amphitheatre holds a stage with backdrop of future shops and stores

apartments above future shops

Being built into the side of a cliff gives a terrific view of the surrounding countryside.  There were however no safety rails to stop you  from stepping off the side of the walkways.

 the chimney in the center of the picture rises from a three bedroom apartment

which is built into the side of the cliff

 

the crane is being used for the next step of this project

and that is construction of greenhouses

This experimental city of earth formed concrete structures was the dream of Paolo Soleri an architectural innovator.